Ironman goes smoothly

COEUR d'ALENE — Ironman Coeur d'Alene on Sunday saw only a handful of athletes treated at the hospital.

Coeur d'Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif said firefighters transported six people competing in the 140.6-mile race to Kootenai Health.

"It was ideal weather for the race and the least amount of athletes that needed EMS services that I can recall for a full triathlon since 2003," he wrote.

The athletes who started the race were greeted with cooler morning conditions, with the high reaching about 80 degrees in the afternoon.

In years past, the temperature has climbed to the 90s and sent hundreds seeking medical assistance.

Kootenai Health reported it saw about 120 athletes in the medical tents.

About 1,100 men and women started the race that included a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike rice and 26.2-mile run, and nearly 1,000 finished it.

In 2017, there were 839 finishers, down from previous years. In 2012, there were 2,145 finishers and 2,123 in 2013.

The Coeur d’Alene City Council recently approved a new contract with the World Triathlon Corporation to keep Ironman here for three more years.

Each race will be 70.3 miles, which is a half Ironman.